Copper Trail Brewing hosted the final winter market of the season this past Sunday, and when we arrived about half an hour after it opened I couldn't believe how busy it was! We stood in the line that formed right by the door and slowly paraded through the stands of preserves, breads, baked goods, meats, and even cotton candy. As expected in early April in Minnesota, the fresh ingredients were sparse, but still present. As our root cellars near empty, and we finally finish those canned goods we thought would we would never run out of in September, the winter market was a perfect place to get supplemental local ingredients to add some variety to our usual winter meals.
Northern Mushroom had a well stocked table full of dry and fresh mushrooms including oysters and some incredible looking lion's mane. I will definitely be recipe testing with their lion's mane, so stay tuned for that! They also had eggs and various preserves available. Belle River Flower Farm had a few cacti and spring hyacinths, but they were well stocked with the other flour in the form of sourdough bread! When we passed the table it was stacked high with artisan, sandwich, and jalapeno cheddar loaves, but they were selling fast! Ida Valley Farm had our first taste of spring with various lettuce pots, micro-greens, pea shoots, and spinach. They also had some beautiful looking beets, and there is still time to catch some of the unique winter citrus to go with them!
` For this week's featured recipe, I am going to focus on the carrots from Ida Valley Farm. Carrots are one of the things that we find most consistently at markets, so for this first recipe I decided to feature one that can be accessible almost all of the time. With spring knocking at our door, I have been craving bright and fresh salad. While it is still early for most lettuce, this Moroccan carrot salad makes for an awesome snack or side dish any time of the year. I picked up this recipe during my time at a vegan cafe in Montana, and it really surprised me because it is simple and fairly quick to make.
There were a few other vendors there that I didn't talk to with various meats, baked goods, and much more! With the turnout of this winter market, I can't wait for the outdoor markets to open in May. I plan on keeping up this market report and featuring an ingredient in a new recipe every week when the markets are in full swing, so sign up to our email list to stay up to date!
Get out to your local markets and support the growers in your area!
-Noah Koehn, Chef/Owner of Roots Kitchen & Catering
Ooh I’ll have to try out this recipe!!